2016 prospect Rand Paul in new book: GOP willing to change
Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul reaches out in his most direct way yet to African-Americans in a new book that highlights his libertarian policies on government surveillance, the economy and criminal justice reform. “My party has let the bond it once enjoyed with minorities fray to the point that it is near beyond repair,” the Kentucky senator writes in “Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America,” set to be released later this month. He continued, “My Republican Party, the Republican Party I hope to lead to the White House, is willing to change.” Paul, 52, has made reaching out to African-Americans a centerpiece of his political brand as he embarks on his 2016 campaign for president. More than a decade has passed since the Republican Party last won a presidential contest, due in part to the GOP’s struggle with minority voters, a growing segment of the population that has overwhelmingly favored Democrats in recent years. President Barack Obama won 93 percent of the black vote in 2012, continuing his party’s overwhelming advantage with black voters that began when Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The trend is similar among Hispanic voters, who have preferred Democrats by at least 18 points in every presidential contest since at least 1980. “I don’t think we’ve done enough of taking our message to people, and I don’t think we’ve brought our message in an appropriate way,” Paul said Thursday of the GOP’s minority outreach during an interview with The Associated Press. “I think also there’s a uniqueness to my message within the Republican Party that allows me to go places that nobody else is either willing to go or able to go.” The new book, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, comes as Paul plays a starring role in the debate over government surveillance. He spent hours on the Senate floor Wednesday protesting the planned extension of the Patriot Act, which includes a provision allowing the National Security Agency to collect bulk records of phone calls made by Americans. Many Republicans support the surveillance program, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose description of Paul as a “wacko bird” is featured prominently on the book’s back cover. In the book, Paul writes that such surveillance programs allowed the government to spy on prominent civil rights leaders in the past, most notably Martin Luther King Jr. He said he raised such concerns during a private meeting last February with then-Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American to hold that office. “Surveillance was used to try to cripple the civil rights movement. You would think this president above all others would be mindful of the potential for abuse in allowing so much power to gravitate to the NSA,” he wrote, referring to President Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president. “Holder nodded his understanding but was noncommittal.” He said he later challenged Holder more directly. “How could our first African American president condone pervasive spying on Americans?” Paul asked, to which he said Holder responded, “Let’s just say the administration’s position on the NSA is not monolithic.” “He left it at that, which only left me with more questions,” Paul wrote. “Did the attorney general mean he was against the spying? If so, why was his voice falling on deaf ears?” Holder, who recently left his position as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, did not respond to a request for comment about Paul’s description of the meeting. Paul also criticizes former President George W. Bush for adopting the Patriot Act following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, charging that “because of President Bush’s overreach, the Bill of Rights protection of our privacy began to fall apart.” He adds that Obama has further shredded such protections. “Power needs to be reined in, because we never know when a leader will arise who will use the power to target Jews or blacks or evangelical Christians or the tea party or any other minority,” he wrote. Paul won praise from black leaders as one of the only members of Congress to visit Ferguson, Missouri, after police shot to death an unarmed black man last year. But he was widely criticized for his comments after racial violence erupted more recently in Baltimore, when he said in a television interview he was “glad the train didn’t stop” as he passed through the city. Paul writes at length about his support for criminal justice reform, which includes ending mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders and restoring voting rights to nonviolent felons. He also opposes the use of military weapons by local police departments and supports the creation of economic freedom zones with low tax rates in depressed urban areas. “Although I was born into the America that experiences and believes in opportunity, my trips to Ferguson and Detroit and Atlanta and Chicago have revealed to me an undercurrent of unease,” he wrote. “I want to be part of a united America in which every child, rich or poor, black or white, truly believes that they have a chance at the American Dream.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Michael Bloomberg comes to Alabama … at least his soda tax idea does
Alabama Today is hearing chatter throughout the Statehouse about the introduction of a 10-cent soda tax during the impending Special Session for the budget as a way to raise revenue. Limiting and taxing soda as a way of combating obesity, which is linked to sky-high health care costs isn’t new. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supported an effort in 2012 that led to a cap on soda size within the New York City limits. The cap was thrown out by the New York Court of Appeals in June 2014. That court ruling however didn’t stop Bloomberg’s efforts to attack soda. According to The Washington Post, Bloomberg went on to be the largest funder of an initiative to increase the tax for sodas in Berkley, Calif. The city with Bloomberg’s help was the first in the nation to pass a one-cent tax for every ounce sold as both a revenue-generating measure and an effort to decrease the sugar consumption associated with soda and such drinks. The federal government has also seen recommendations of increasing the tax to make sodas and sugary drinks less attractive. Are there any Bloomberg conservatives here in Alabama? We shall soon see. Check back for more on this developing story.
House passes bill to move presidential primaries up to Super Tuesday
The Alabama state House on Thursday passed SB 240, a bill sponsored by Sen. Quinton Ross that moves the state’s two partisan presidential primaries from the summer of 2016 to Super Tuesday on March 1, when Alabama’s delegates will be more actively sought after by presidential candidates. Ross, a Democrat, had previously called the measure an “an economic stimulus bill” because of the expected increased attention Alabama will receive during the 2016 cycle. The state is not generally thought of as a great prize by Republican contenders, because the eventual nominee rarely takes the state in a GOP primary and its seven electoral votes have been all but guaranteed to go in the “R” column for decades. The move is in keeping with a plan, announced last year, to attempt to bring Alabama into the fold as part of a presidential “SEC Primary.” The plan involves fellow Southern states Tennessee and Georgia moving their primary election dates up to the beginning of March as well, which both states have done. Mississippi is also considering a move in the same direction. The bill passed with approval from both the Alabama Republican Party and the Alabama Democratic Party respectively, who are in agreement that being more relevant in contemporary presidential politics is a boon for the state overall. Legislative leaders in Arkansas are also currently trying to move up their primary date during an upcoming special session. Arkansas State Sen. Gary Stubblefield said Wednesday that Gov.Asa Hutchinson has assured him that a March 1 primary bill similar to Ross’ bill that passed the full Legislature Thursday will be on the menu during a Special Session convening Tuesday.
Alabama House passes $6B education budget
Alabama House members passed a $6 billion state education budget on Thursday by a unanimous vote. Rep. Bill Poole, chair of the education committee said the goal of Senate Bill 179 was to shore up funding to classrooms. The budget includes a $13 million increase for textbooks and more than $10 million for the Alabama’s nationally-acclaimed Pre-K program. Lawmakers discussed the budget for less than an hour before voting unanimously for its passage. The Senate will need to address minor changes to the bill and vote for final approval.
LGBT rights bill to get public hearing in state Senate
An Alabama Senate committee is planning to hear from the public on a bill to offer employment protections for the LGBT community. Senate Bill 482 would ban state officials from discriminating against employees based on sexuality and gender expression, in addition to of race, ethnicity, or religion. The bill does not apply to private sector employers. Sen. President Pro Tem Del Marsh, said that he sees the LGBT rights bill as an economic development issue after hearing concerns from businesses considering moving to Alabama. “We want to dispel any thoughts that we’re not a state that protects all people,” Marsh said. Dispelling that perception, according to Sen. Marsh, means that a proposal to give officiants the right to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies may not pass the Senate. “What I do not want to do is have a perception that Alabama is attacking any group,” Marsh told reporters after the committee meeting. “I don’t expect those other bills to come to the floor.” Marsh also said timing would be a factor in getting any measures on LGBT discrimination passed this session. Senate Bill 482 was introduced Tuesday and the Senate Governmental Affairs committee met Thursday to discuss the bill. Sen. Dick Brewbaker said the quick turnaround leaves little time for concerns from both sides to be properly considered. “People who want to have a say didn’t get notice,” he said. “We have to let people have their say.” He later added, “The committee can vote with 48 hours notice. There’s no need to wait until next Wednesday.” Brewbaker and others also expressed concern about the language in the bill, saying that the state could not offer protections to state employees, but not recognize protections for employees in the private sector. The narrow scope could mean that Senate Bill 482 is unconstitutional, according to Sen. Phil Williams. “You can’t separate classes,” said Brewbaker. “You can offer protections to state employees and not another.” Another bill in the House would apply to all employers. House Bill 615 sponsored by Rep. Chris England is in the House judiciary committee and has not been scheduled for a vote.
Rosa Parks family reflects on items at Library of Congress
The family of civil rights activist Rosa Parks viewed some of her personal memorabilia for the first time Wednesday, and expressed relief that her belongings finally have a safe home at the Library of Congress. Parks’ relatives viewed about 200 items from a collection on loan to the Library of Congress, which is the country’s oldest cultural institution and serves as the research arm for Congress. A protracted legal battle between Parks’ family and caregivers had kept the collection in an archive warehouse away from public view for years. It was purchased last year by a charitable foundation run by Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The library has thousands of Parks’ personal items, but currently is displaying just a few through September in the “The Civil Rights Act of 1964” exhibit. Documents and items from the collection will be digitized to be made available online. The family pored over items including black-and-white photographs, letters, personal notes, a pocket Bible, a certificate for a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a copy of the novel Roots with an inscription from author Alex Haley. “I was pleased that it would go to a place where students and the public could view it, take from it and learn something from it, from her, from her humility,” said Parks’ niece, Sheila Keys of Northville, Mich. “The public will gain some knowledge, some insight into the wisdom of this woman.” Keys was most excited to see her aunt’s family Bible, which contains the McCauley family’s lineage. Rosa Parks’ maiden name was McCauley. Broderick Carnes, 28, of Lawrenceville, Ga., said the items give visitors a chance to “uncover some more of the history” about his great aunt. “Even though Rosa Parks was an icon, she was still a normal person,” Carnes said. “She worked hard just like everyone else. And anyone can achieve the things that she achieved, and make a change the way that she made a change.” After the private tour of the pieces, family members discussed their book Our Auntie Rosa. The book, released in January, reflects on the personal side of the civil rights icon, who died in 2005 at age 92. “When she passed, there were just these large, epic funerals and we — as a private family — never got to grieve her loss,” Keys said. “We decided to put our memories down, share our photos.” Parks is a beloved figure in American history for her civil disobedience on a Montgomery bus. That defining moment in 1955 triggered a yearlong bus boycott that helped dismantle formal segregation. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Judge Wes Allen: Mental health is vital part of overall health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is a vital part of overall health. As Probate Judge of Pike County I interact weekly with families, various agencies, doctors and hospitals that seek to help those who suffer from mental illnesses. Mental illness effects many people throughout our state, so it is important to me and all probate judges throughout the state of Alabama to bring awareness to mental health. Research indicates 1 in 4 adults experience mental health issues in a given year. Research also suggest that 1 in 17 people live with major depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Chronic mental illness can begin as early as the age of 14. Identifying the symptoms is the key. A problem that has been pinpointed would be the lengthy delays − occasionally decades − between the time symptoms first surface and when the individuals receive treatment. Everyone should learn symptoms of mental illness. A great resource is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) which offers information at their website www.nami.org and HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). There are free education courses offered by NAMI for individuals and families affected by mental illness. It is important to me to assist people to identify the early symptoms of mental illness. I encourage our communities to help end the silence and stigma around mental illness that discourages people from getting assistance. By working together we can make a significant positive impact in our communities.
Gov. Robert Bentley speaks out against “pill mill” doctors amid federal busts
Gov. Robert Bentley has made remarks about an epidemic of unscrupulous doctors intentionally over-prescribing powerfully addictive painkillers across the South, recently highlighted by a massive series of Drug Enforcement Agency busts known as “Operation Pillution.” Bentley, who is a dermatological physician by trade, indicated on Wednesday in a Montgomery news conference that the dozens of “pill mill” doctors and pharmacists caught by the DEA’s dragnet are “an embarrassment to the medical profession.” Gesturing to his personal prescription pad that allows him issue scrips for hydrocodone, OxyContin and other often-abused painkillers, Bentley said that when doctors break their Hippocratic oath to “do no harm” by writing prescriptions to addicts, they “change from being a physician to really being a drug dealer.” Nine people were arrested in Alabama on charges related to the federal sting, including two doctors. According to the DEA, 40 doctors overall were forced to give up their licenses, along with more than 228 arrests stemming from the latest stage of the year-old initiative launched last summer, which runs from Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Agents arrested 48 people altogether on Wednesday. Twenty-two were from Louisiana, nine each in Alabama and Arkansas, and eight in Mississippi. Word of the operation came amid somewhat better news in the national war against prescription drug abuse: Deaths from pharmaceutical overdoses are down in after a 10-year ascendance, leveling off after a steep decline in 2012.
Immigrants launch Twitter campaign to stir Gov. Robert Bentley on deportation relief program
Pro-immigrant activists are still taking to Twitter on Thursday amid a federal court case enjoined by Attorney General Luther Strange seeking to prevent the administration of President Barack Obama from reforming U.S. immigration rules by executive order. Supporters are using the hashtag #Bama4DAPA to converse with one another and promote their message in favor of relaxing immigration rules to stop the deportation of many categories of undocumented immigrants. “Tell @GovernorBentley to drop Alabama off the lawsuit vs #DAPA Sign the petition […] #Bama4DAPA,” reads one representative example. “Fight for keeping families united #BAMA4DAPA,” reads another. See the entire stream of related Tweets here. The campaign was organized by the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, which made it a major priority Wednesday with the conversation continuing Thursday. Birmingham Mayor William Bell addressed the group in April. He expressed his solidarity with their cause and said that the lawsuit is an impediment to progress. “This injunction is only hurting immigrant families,” Bell said. “We need to lift the ban to allow families to remain united in these United States. It is imperative to find pathways to allow these people to continue to be vital contributors to our communities and to be treated with dignity. Our voices need to be heard in order to remove the injustice that is being put upon these families.”
